It has been over two weeks since Easter has finished. Normally, Easter greetings are coming from the conventional authorities, like the Pope (in 65 languages) or country leaders of the Western world. North Korea can be listed on the bottom in terms of likelihood to receive Easter greetings from, somewhere in between Syria and Saudi Arabia. Therefore, it seemed to ... Read More »
Humanitarian intervention has been a controversy in the field of international relations since the end of Cold War. The controversy mainly emerges because the principle of humanitarian intervention clashes with the principles of non-intervention and sovereignty which emerged with the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. Even the definition of humanitarian intervention is up for debate by scholars but the lack ... Read More »
Have you ever wondered what you can do with an IRIO degree after you graduate from University? Bob Deen, who has worked in NGOs, with the OSCE and is now running for the Dutch parliament, offers you a unique perspective on the manifold possibilities that open up in life after IR. By Bob Deen: When I grew up in ... Read More »
Boko Haram is a Nigerian Sunni-Muslim terror organization established in 2002 after a long time of conflicts during the decolonization process in Nigeria. It focuses on the strict application of Sharia law throughout the country, and opposes any form of Western ideology. First off, it was a response of multiple classes in society towards the elite that profited excessively from ... Read More »
War, as said by Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831), a Prussian general and military theorist, is ‘the continuation of politics by other means.’ This is just one of the many definitions for war. Defining a person’s definition of war often expresses the person’s broader political philosophy. This position is also important for one’s view on the origins of war. Building a ... Read More »
With a series of essential national elections that will, without any doubt, determine the path to follow for European integration in the near future, 2017 is shaping up to be a decisive year for the Union. The rise of EU-sceptic, populist parties all across the continent seems to approach its tipping point in the coming months. In a worst case ... Read More »
Since the outbreak of the civil war in Syria in March 2011, about eleven million Syrians have fled their homes. An estimated one million have requested asylum in Europe. One of them is 24-year-old Muhammed from Damascus. When the the civil war began, Muhammed was obligated to serve in the army. He received a letter from the government, wherein President Assad invited ... Read More »
Climate change is more apparent in the Arctic Ocean than nearly anywhere else on the planet. In the coming decades, this area is likely to be of increasing interest to the international community, posing a myriad of security, commercial, and environmental concerns. As the polar ice caps melt, the area is becoming more accessible to both shipping and resource extraction, ... Read More »
The UN has estimated that over 25,000 people from over 100 countries have joined IS. Without the possibilities modern media offers, IS would have never attracted this many souls to their cause. Of course, the rise of the terrorist group cannot be explained by the way ISIS uses social media alone. However, it is peculiar that for a group that ... Read More »
It is crazy how people know everything about Kylie Jenner’s lipstick but not about what ICJ does…like which war it prevented and so on. The Pax Initiative is a non-governmental organisation launched at the end of 2015 by a team of young and passionate professionals who aim at gathering and empowering youth from all over the world. The NGO focuses ... Read More »
Checks&Balances Checks and Balances is the magazine of the Study Association Clio from the program "International Relations and International Organization" at the University of Groningen. Topics include international politics, ethics, conflict and development